What does landing mean?
Landing is the act of coming to rest on a surface after a flight, jump, or descent. It is also the name for the place where this happens, such as a runway, landing strip, or platform. The noun can refer to the event itself, while the verb describes an aircraft, vessel, or person arriving on the ground or water. In computing and marketing, a landing page is a page designed to direct a visitor toward a particular action or offer. The word is neutral in ordinary use, though phrases such as a soft landing can suggest ease or success. Landing also has a precise everyday use for the moment movement becomes rest, which makes it useful in descriptions of aviation, travel, architecture, and digital design. Its simple Germanic history and broad modern range give it both familiarity and flexibility.
The act or process of coming to rest on a surface after a flight, descent, or jump; a place where someone or something arrives.
"The helicopter's landing site was marked by a circle of stones."
As a noun, “landing” commonly refers both to the event and to the area or structure used for arrival.
To come down onto the ground, water, or another surface, especially in an aircraft or other vehicle.
"The aircraft was landing when the engine failed."
This is the present-participle form of “land” and is especially frequent in aviation and maritime contexts.
The regular plural of the noun is “landings.”
"Several landings were recorded at the airport throughout the day."
Landing captures the exact moment when motion becomes rest: a wheel meets a runway, a foot meets a floor, or a page meets a browser.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does landing come from?
English “landing” developed from Old English “land,” meaning ground or territory, and the related Old English verb “landan,” meaning to come to land. The noun “landing” developed during the Middle English period for the act of arriving on land or ground, while the verbal form is the present participle of “land.” The English words have close Germanic relatives, including Dutch “land” and “landen” and German “Land” and “landen.”
How landing is actually used
The word is neutral in ordinary use and is especially common in aviation, maritime travel, architecture, and digital design. For a person arriving on foot, “land” is usually more idiomatic than “landing,” while “landing” is particularly natural for aircraft, vessels, and formal descriptions of descent.
Easily confused with landing
Lending means providing something, especially money, on loan, whereas landing means arriving on or coming down onto a surface.